ItB次元官网网址檚 one first that will remain elusive.

Canada had a very real chance Sunday to become the first home side to win a tournament in the World Rugby HSBC Womens Sevens Series. The series-leading New Zealand Black Ferns had something to say about that, however, and dominated the Langford-based team, clinching the series title with a 19-7 win in the Cup final at Westhills Stadium.

Having come so close to beating New Zealand in the previous series tournament in Japan, SundayB次元官网网址檚 contest proved frustrating for the Canadians.

B次元官网网址淚t was not the performance that we wanted and not the result that we wanted,B次元官网网址� said team captain Ghislaine Landry. B次元官网网址淚 think when weB次元官网网址檙e performing weB次元官网网址檙e the best team in the world B次元官网网址� we didnB次元官网网址檛 really find our stride like we did last tournament.B次元官网网址�

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New Zealand started strong and kept up the momentum, building a 12-0 lead by the three-minute mark on tries by Tyla Nathan-Wong and Michaela Blyde.

Canada got back into the game three minutes later when Julia Greenshields sprinted through the middle of the field to drop a try down between the posts. Landry converted to cut the KiwisB次元官网网址� lead to 12-7.

But the second half was played mostly in CanadaB次元官网网址檚 end. While the women in red came up with some huge stops, they were hard pressed to sustain any forward movement with New Zealand playing superb defensively.

B次元官网网址淢ost breakdowns we had a turnover and if you canB次元官网网址檛 get the ball out itB次元官网网址檚 just hard to play,B次元官网网址� Landry said. B次元官网网址淪evens is a game of possession and we lost a lot of possession off the breakdowns.B次元官网网址�

Alena Saili added a corner try near the end of the match to round out the scoring.

Despite their continued dominance on the circuit, the win was anything but routine for Nathan-Wong.

B次元官网网址淲e just had faith in each other, we trusted each other, stayed connected on defence and at the end of the day it came down to hard work and manners, as we like to say,B次元官网网址� she said, after posing for fan pictures with teammates and the cup.

Team Canada head coach John Tait said the final came down to pace.

B次元官网网址淣ew Zealand are the series champions, theyB次元官网网址檙e a tough team to beat and theyB次元官网网址檙e pretty relentless, they know how to play the game at that tempo and they beat us at that in the final,B次元官网网址� he said. While the majority of penalty calls went against Canada in the match, Tait noted that his team needed to adjust more quickly to the calls as they were being made.

Asked about his teamB次元官网网址檚 chances of becoming the first team to win on home soil, he joked, B次元官网网址淭he hurdle before the tournament was to do better than fifth or sixth place, and now itB次元官网网址檚 winning it, so I guess weB次元官网网址檙e moving in the right direction.B次元官网网址�

With one stop left on the series, in Clermont, France, Canada sits tied for second with Australia, who they beat 17-10 in the afternoonB次元官网网址檚 semifinal.

Canada found itself chasing New Zealand and Australia for much of last season, Landry said, so for the team to be where it is right now, competing well against the two traditional rugby powers, is a B次元官网网址渂ig positiveB次元官网网址� for Canadian rugby.

Once again the weekend attracted thousands of fans to the stadium, some in colourful costumes, but the majority donned Canadian red and white. While they saved their loudest cheers for their home country, they treated other teams with the utmost respect and admiration.

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After visiting with a cluster of family members in town for the weekend, CanadaB次元官网网址檚 Brittany Benn sounded positive about playing the Kiwis hard and having one last chance to beat them on the series.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 definitely a good feeling when the gaps are so close B次元官网网址� Sevens is a game of inches and itB次元官网网址檚 only 14 minutes, so at the end of the day, itB次元官网网址檚 the team that makes the least amount of errors thatB次元官网网址檚 going to win,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e going to go back to the drawing board, look at the film and see where we went wrong and hopefully take it to them in France.B次元官网网址�

Canada went 3-0 on Saturday then hammered England 33-5 in the Sunday morning quarter-final. The win over Australia saw them rebound from a 5-0 deficit with three straight tries, from Landry, Greenshields and a brilliant 80-metre run down the sideline by speedster Charity Williams.

New Zealand beat France 28-5 in the other semifinal, then Australia downed France for the bronze medal.

editor@goldstreamgazette.com